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Navy Dirigible Flies Near Lykens Valley, 1928

September 1, 1928 – On a trip to Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, to participate in the dedication of the new airport at that place, the largest airship/dirigible in the Navy, the U. S. S. Los Angeles, took a circular route -first flying over northern parts of Schuylkill County, and then on the return trip, flying over southern parts of Schuylkill County – before returning to its base at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

According to a Northumberland County historian, J. R. Lindermuth, the dedication of the new airport in honor of pilot Wesley L. Smith, was a three-day celebration which was billed as the “Great Air Meet and Flying Circus.” Lindermuth went on in a piece he wrote for the historical society’s Facebook page:

The silver cigar-shaped craft was on its return flight after the Sunbury airport dedication when it was sighted over Shamokin….

The dirigible was piloted by Lt. Commander Herbert V. Wiley and carried a crew of 49 officers and men.

Built in Germany by the Zeppelin Company, the blimp designated ZR-3 crossed the Atlantic on October 12, 1924, and was commissioned as a vessel of the U.S. Navy and named the Los Angeles by the wife of President Calvin Coolidge on Nov. 25, 1924. The ship was built by the Zeppelin Company on a compromise agreement that it would be used solely for civil, and not military, purposes. It was used primarily as a training ship during its service.

The Los Angeles was decommissioned in October 1939 and dismantled.

Surprisingly, there are very few newspaper accounts of the ship passing over the Lykens Valley area – although there is documentary evidence that the ship took a route south from Shamokin that included passing over or near Valley View, Hegins, Short Mountain, Bear Gap, and Pine Grove. The few accounts include the text of a letter that was dropped from the dirigible and delivered by the post office; a boy from Millersburg who missed seeing the airship in Sunbury and went for a airplane ride instead; and excitement at the Hegins Homecoming as the airship passed over.

A second trip scheduled for September 7, 1928, for a different route that included western Pennsylvania, had to be cancelled because of the weather.

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From the Harrisburg Evening News, August 30, 1928:

DIRIGIBLE WILL FLY OVER PENNSYLVANIA

Washington, August 30 [1928] — The Los Angeles, the Navy’s big dirigible, will make two flights over Pennsylvania the first week in September and the routes will cover both northwestern and southern Pennsylvania.

In connection with the ceremonies Saturday for the opening of the new extension to the airport at Sunbury the Los Angeles will fly there.  Friday, September 7, the dirigible will fly over southern Pennsylvania to the Floyd Bennett Flying Field at Uniontown [Fayette County].  The dedication ceremonies took place at the latter field took place last Thursday, but owing to the unfavorable weather conditions the Los Angeles was unable to make the trip.

The Navy Department has announced the tentative schedule for the Saturday trip:  Leave Lakehurst [New Jersey], its station, at 8:30 a. m.; pass over Trenton at 9:10; Allentown, 10:30; Sunbury and Selinsgrove, 12:40 p. m.; Reading, 1:55; Wilmington, Delaware, 2:50; Bridgeton, New Jersey, 3:45; and arrive at Lakehurst at 5:15….

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From the Shamokin News-Dispatch, August 31, 1928:

The dirigible Los Angeles will be at Sunbury shortly after noon Saturday instead of later in the day, according to Congressman Fred W. Magrady, who is largely responsible for the great ship’s appearance at the dedication of the Sunbury airport on that day.  The congressman received a telegram this morning from officials of the Navy department at Washington stating that the Los Angeles is scheduled to be at Sunbury at 12:40 p. m. instead of between 4 and 5 p. m. as he had been previously advised….

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From the Pottsville Republican & Herald, September 1, 1928:

SUNBURY TO OPEN AIRPORT

Sunbury, September 1 [1928] – Sunbury today dedicated its new airport, Wesley L. Smith Field, on Island park in the Susquehanna River.  Two army planes from Washington, D. C., two naval planes from Anacostia; four Pennsylvania National Guard planes, and three Army airplanes from Middletown arrived here this morning.  The U. S. Navy Dirigible Los Angeles left Lakehurst, New Jersey, at 9:30 o’clock to take part in the ceremonies.  The big airship arrived at about 12:40 p. m.  Large numbers of commercial planes also are in hand for the dedication.

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From the Shamokin News-Dispatch, September 1, 1928:

BIG DIRIGIBLE PASSED OVER COUNTY TWICE

Crowds of people in the county watched with hopefulness for the appearance of the giant dirigible Los Angeles, with a course charted from Lakehurst to Sunbury and return in the hope that it would pass over their home towns on one of the trips.  It pass over the county going and coming.  Pottsville and vicinity watched in vain, however, for it made a loop around the county seat.

Going to Sunbury it passed over Hazleton and the passed over portions of Northern Schuylkill, among the towns favored being Frackville.  Returning the ship passed over Valley View, then over Pine Grove and thence headed toward Womelsfdorf and Reading.

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From the Shamokin News-Dispatch, September 4, 1928:

SHAMOKIN GETS FIRST GLIMPSE OF LOS ANGELES

Entire Community Stares Skyward as “Queen of Skies” Passes Over the City

FIRST VISIT HERE

All Shamokin stared skyward for fully ten minutes Saturday afternoon gazing in admiration and wonderment as the Los Angeles, mammoth United States navy dirigible, sailed majestically over the city.  It was Shamokin’s initial glimpse of the “Queen of the Skies” and was the first time that the giant ship has visited this section of the state.

Dedication of the Sunbury Airport was the objective of Saturday’s cruise of the Los Angeles.  Leaving its hangar at Lakehurst, New Jersey, the big motor-driven blimp followed an almost direct air line to Sunbury.  Roaring Creek, Bear Gap and the Shamokin Valley were some of the sections which caught glimpses of the magnificent air liner as it headed for the Northumberland County seat.

Sunburians got the biggest thrill of their lives when the gigantic ship reached there about 12:15, circled the city three times, dipped its colors to the airport and then struck off for Reading.  The Los Angeles hovered above Sunbury for about 45 minutes before starting back to Lakehurst.

It was on the return flight that the silver cigar-shaped craft of the skies followed a course over Shamokin.

Appearing from the northwest the ship was sighted almost instantly by hundreds who had received word by telephone that it was headed this way.

Children, catching their first view of the giant of the skies, shouted in joyous glee and it was only a matter of moments until the entire populace was craning skyward, thousands continuing to watch the beautiful craft until it could be seen no more.  Upon reaching here the Los Angeles headed almost due south and in about ten minutes had disappeared over the wooded hills in the direction of the Burnside Colliery.  After flying over Reading, Wilmington, Delaware, and Bridgeton, New Jersey, the mammoth craft arrived safely at its hangar at Lakehurst about 5:15 Saturday evening.

The flight of the Los Angeles over Shamokin Saturday made up in part for the disappointment of Shamokin at the dedication of the local airport last July when a scheduled jaunt to this city had to be cancelled  because of inclement weather conditions.

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From the Elizabethville Echo, September 6, 1928:

SAW THE LOS ANGELES

A long period of watchful waiting rewarded scored of local sky scanners early Saturday afternoon, when they viewed the Los Angeles, America’s largest dirigible on its visit to the Sunbury airport.

Trees, buildings, tops of box cars provided points of vantage, but the majority of watchers took to the open spaces for their view of the airship.  As the ship circled the new airport at Sunbury, spectators here had a good view of the ship at a distance estimated to be close to 20 miles, air line.  Presenting a broadside view the ship steered a course eastward paralleling the Mahantongo Mountain and she topped Short Mountain, she flew in an almost direct southerly direction.  The ship remained in sight for perhaps a half hour.

One Millersburg lad of five years, “Jackie” Hain, with his grandmother, Mrs. William Heckert, who made the trip to Sunbury especially to see the air giant, arrived too late, and only an airplane ride over Sunbury satisfied the youngster.  He lays claim to being Millersburg’s youngest sky rider.

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From the Danville Morning News, September 6, 1928:

ON BIG DIRIGIBLE, TELLS OF TRIP

Letter to Brother Gives Description of Dirigible’s Trip To Valley

While the huge dirigible Los Angeles sailed Sunbury-ward Saturday, James V. Young, former Sunbury resident, who was a passenger on the big ship, penned four letters directed to friends and relatives in this section.

The missives which were dropped in a small silken bag, weighted with sand, fell in Northumberland, and a short time after being picked up were in the post office of that place.  They were addressed to Philip F. Mackert, South Third Street; H. E. Young, North River Avenue; Miss Mary Young, Northumberland, R. D. 2; and Bert Sears, Milton.  Mr. Young and Miss Young, two of those addressed, are brother and sister of the writer.

James Young, a former Pennsylvania Railroad brakeman, is now foreman in the construction department of the United States Navy Base at Lakehurst. The letters he wrote aboard the big airship were mostly the same, containing brief observations of the trip and greetings.  The letter received by Mr. Mackert thru the mail follows:

Aboard the U. S. S. Los Angeles,

Hello Phil:

Old Sunbury looks good from up here.  Thought you were coming down in August?  Tell Mary hello for me.  Wish you were up here with me, it is great, but cold.

Best wishes to all.

J. V. Young

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From the Miltonian, September 6, 1928:

LOS ANGELES AT SUNBURY AIRPORT

The Los Angeles, pride of the U. S. Navy, gave Sunbury the biggest air thrill of its history Saturday, when the gigantic ship circled the city three times, dipped its colors three times to the new airport and struck off for Reading with a swarm of gnat-like pursuit planes buzzing in its wake.

Several of the Navy planes flew over the vicinity of Milton and caused considerable excitement.  They flew very close to the earth, and the word “Navy” could be easily seen.

Sunbury’s new airport was opened with fitting programs Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

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From the Lykens Standard, September 7, 1928:

BIG DIRIGIBLE PASSES OVER HEGINS

The Dirigible Los Angeles passed over this county enroute to Sunbury 10:25 o’clock Saturday morning in the vicinity of Pinedale Station, near Ringtown.  It was also seen by Tamaqua residents watching on the mountain north of the town about 11:10 o’clock, flying low and making good progress.  It passed over Hauck’s Junction of the C. R. R. of New Jersey and Reading railroads shortly afterwards.  The Dirigible passed over Hegins on the return trip, flying high, but the words “U. S. Navy” were easily seen.  It furnished a feature for Hegins Homecoming Celebration.

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The airship photograph is from Wikipedia. The news articles are from Newspapers.com.

Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.

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